manager_1 Gender-neutral fashion is a possible trend in the future? The Spring 2021 styles saw major brands championing gender-fluid, unisex and polysexual fashions. Marc Jacob’s “Heaven” capsule and fluid collections by Stella McCartney and Stella Balenciaga were just two examples. Marc has always believed that clothing is not intrinsically gendered. Instead, society norms have determined which garments are appropriate for certain people. “Marc” Eric Marechalle, CEO of Marc Jacobs International, told WWD in a recent interview.
The Advocate conducted a 2018 survey and found that 33% of Gen-Z identified as being something other than exclusively homosexual. This is the highest percentage of any generation. Tik Tok searches show that the hashtag polysexuality has nearly 10,000 views. This is despite content creators creating more videos about polysexuality and people. The hashtag is used in over 1,000,000 Instagram tags.
New York Men’s Day SS21 was dominated by gender-fluid looks
Gender-fluid fashion was a highlight of the New York Men’s Day. Apotts and Ka Wa Key presented gender-fluid collections. Official Rebrand, Wataru Tominaga, and Ka Wa Key also displayed them. The Apotts collection communicated that no matter our race or gender, we all can enjoy dressing up. Official Rebrand’s MI Leggett believes that gender-fluid fashion is not a new trend but an antithesis to their brand DNA. The designer, who is non-binary and uses they/them/their pronouns throughout the season, focused on social unrest and anti-waste urgency.
Through a prism that is fluid, a voice for the voiceless
Many parts of the globe still treat the LGBT and gender-neutral communities with hostility, violence and hostility. Gucci’s global campaign Chime For Change premiered the short film “The Future is Fluid” during Sundance Film Festival 2019. It was presented as a companion piece to The Irregular Report which is a biannual report about and by Gen Z. The film’s voices represent the generation’s curiosity, optimism, empathy, hope, and tenacity in redefining the world and representing it through a prism that is fluid. One Gen Zer said in the video that he was responsible for continuing to advocate and fight for trans and non-binary youth rights because he has the privilege to do so. Another Gen Z advocate stated, “If we see this fluid approach, we can start to see all the barriers opening up.”
Genderless fashion in East Asia: East Asia’s social protest
Japan’s long history of avant-garde fashion and genderless fashion is credited to Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garcons. It’s no surprise that Harajuka is home to a large number of streetwear and subculture-oriented youth. Tokyo’s youth movement has rejected the idea of fashion defining sexuality by making-up, clothes and Instagram filters. This is a rejection of ideas that fashion uses to define gender. i-D Magazine sat down with the people behind Tokyo’s most boundary-pushing scene in this documentary. Yutaro stated that sometimes she envies girls who are fashion-conscious. They can wear skirts and trousers without being punished for wearing boy’s clothing.” Satsuki, a unisex girl, stated that she has realized that fashion can change your outlook.
Mintel, a London-based market research company, reports that K-beauty exports grew to 2.64 billion US Dollars in 2019. Mainstream South Korean media promotes a ‘perfect woman appearance’ that includes a porcelain complexion and luxuriant long locks, lots of makeup, form-fitting clothes paired with stilettos, and a beautiful, flawless skin tone. NPR’s article “South Korean Women Escape the Corset” states that women are rebelling against patriarchal views by cutting their hair and using no makeup to protest the patriarchal gaze.
